The Center continues to be concerned with the identification of characteristics of delivery systems and their subsystems, providers, population, and community that affect the economics, accessibility, utilization and quality of care, and with the assessment of the relative significance of these characteristics. The focal point of interest is ambulatory care and the linkages between primary, secondary and tertiary care. Sites for research include well-established HMOs, new HMOs, OPDs of teaching and other community hospitals. Studies are underway on a) the effect of health care resources on health practices in low income populations, b) role performance and effectiveness of nurse practitioners, c) coordination and continuity of care, and d) preventive strategies for hypertensive patients. New mechanisms were activated during the year to identify, from the perspective of local and regional interested groups, priorities for research and technical assistance, and to disseminate study results and gain recognition of their relevance for planning purposes. Final reports on major projects were completed and submitted to funding agencies; progress was maintained on studies started prior to Year 2; a reexamination of completed and ongoing research at the Center was begun to assess the full potential for synthesizing results of studies related to commonly addressed issues.